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Michael Hughes
Real Name: Michael Anthony Hughes Nicknames: Michael Gregory Marshall Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma Date: September 12, 1994 Bio Occupation: Student Date of Birth: March 21, 1988 Height: 3'10" Weight: 45 lbs. Marital Status: Single Characteristics: Caucasian male, Brown hair, Brown eyes Case Details: Six-year-old Michael Hughes attended Indian Meridian Elementary School in the Oklahoma City suburb of Choctaw. He lived with foster parents Merle and Ernest Bean. On September 12, 1994, Franklink Delano Floyd, a man claiming to be Michael's father, entered Indian Meridian Elementary School in Oklahoma City and went to the office of principal James Davis. He pulled out a gun and forced James to take him to Michael's classroom. He then forced both of them into James's pickup truck and ordered him to drive out into the country. In a wooded area, he handcuffed James to a tree and fled with Michael. Five hours later, James was rescued, but for two months, there was no sign of Franklin Floyd or Michael. Finally, two months later, Floyd was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky; however, Michael was nowhere to be found. As police delved into the case, they made several disturbing discoveries. In 1975, Floyd, then thirty-two, turned up in Oklahoma City. He was going by the name "Trenton B. Davis" and had a young girl with him, who he claimed was his daughter, Suzanne. Over the next decade, Floyd and Suzanne moved from town-to-town, using a variety of aliases. In 1988, Suzanne, then seventeen, gave birth to her son, Michael Hughes. Incredibly, Floyd claimed to be the boy's father. Even more incredibly, he then married Suzanne, the woman he claimed was his "daughter". On April 30, 1990, when Michael was two, Suzanne was killed in a suspicious hit-and-run accident. The prime suspect was Floyd, although he was never charged. Floyd vanished soon after her death, leaving Michael in foster care. His foster parents remembered that he had many developmental problems. He had limited muscle control and was non-verbal and often hysterical. His foster parents claim that Michael was considered at the age of two to be the mental equivalent of a nine-month-old child. While in foster care, however, he made great developmental progress. Six months after abandoning Michael, Floyd was arrested on a parole violation. A routine blood test led to a somewhat surprising discovery: Floyd was not Michael's biological father. After being released from prison, Floyd requested that custody of Michael be returned to him. His request was denied. Six months later, he abducted Michael from his first-grade classroom. In April of 1995, a judge found him guilty of Michael's kidnapping. Floyd is currently serving a fifty-two-year sentence for the crime. He has refused to divulge the child's whereabouts, but claims that he is alive. Investigators tried to look further into Michael's mother Suzanne's background. They were disturbed to discover that Suzanne was not Floyd's biological daughter either; in fact, they believe that she was abducted by him as well. Suzanne was most likely been abducted by him between 1973 and 1975. Today, no one knows where Michael is, nor do they know what Suzanne's true identity is. Floyd claims to have drowned him in a motel pool in Georgia and buried him in a cemetery. Other sources claim that he is alive, but Floyd keeps changing his story, completely unable to tell the truth. Suspects: Franklin Delano Floyd Extra Notes: This case first aired on the December 15, 1995 episode. Kevin Ogle of KFOR-TV helped to present it. It was also referenced on Motives & Murders: Cracking the Case, which focused primarily on the 1989 murder of Cheryl Commesso. Results: Unresolved. Floyd was later charged in the 1989 murder of eighteen-year-old Cheryl Commesso, a co-worker of Suzanne's. Her skeletal remains were found off Interstate 275 in Pinellas County, Florida. She had been beaten and shot to death. It was discovered that she had vanished shortly after getting into an altercation with Floyd. The couple had fled shortly after Cheryl's disappearance. In March of 1995, photographs were found in a truck that had previously belonged to Floyd. The photographs showed Cheryl, bound and severely beaten. In 2002, Floyd was convicted and sentenced to death for Cheryl's murder. He is now awaiting execution. In October 2014, DNA testing identified "Suzanne Davis" as Suzanne Marie Sevakis. Floyd, then going by the name "Brandon Cleo Williams" had married Suzanne's mother Sandi Brandenburg in 1973; at the time, she had a son and three daughters (including Suzanne) from a previous relationship. In 1975, she was arrested and sentenced to thirty days in jail. During the time she was in jail, Floyd abducted the four children. Suzanne's mother was unable to file a missing persons report because Floyd was their stepfather. Suzanne's two sisters were later discovered safe at a local social services office. However, Floyd, Suzanne, and her infant brother Phillip could not be found. Sadly, neither Phillip nor Suzanne's son Michael have ever been found. However, in September of 2014, Floyd confessed to killing Michael on the day of his abduction. He claimed that while driving, he became annoyed by Michael's behavior. He shot and killed Michael near the Oklahoma/Texas border, disposing of the boy's body on Interstate 35. A witness in the area of the interstate reported seeing a suspicious man arguing with a small child, matching Floyd's confession. A search of the area yielded no results. Police suspect that wild hogs may have eaten Michael's remains. Despite the lack of a body, his foster parents have stated that the confession has given them some closure. Officially, his case is now closed. In 2019, a man named Phillip Steve Patterson came forward, believing that he is Suzanne's missing infant brother, Phillip Brandenburg. His adoptive mother knew Sandi Brandenburg and claims that she adopted Phillip through Sandi and Floyd. She also claims that his name at birth was "Phillip Steven Brandenburg". DNA testing is currently underway. Links: * Michael Anthony Hughes on Unsolved.com * Michael Anthony Hughes on The Charley Project * Michael Anthony Hughes on the NCMEC * Gunman abducts son of former live-in lover * Foster parents of missing boy say he was like a son * Floyd Like Father To Boy's Mother, Woman Testifies * Judge Finds Floyd Guilty In Kidnapping * United States v. Floyd (1996) * Floyd v. State (2005) * 'Crucial Evidence' in Murder Case is Stolen * Solving a Decades-Old Mystery * Finally - Blog by Author Matt Birkbeck * After 20 years of lies, kidnapper admits killing Oklahoma boy * Cold case solved: Man confesses to killing missing Oklahoma boy more than 20 years ago * N.C. Man Waits for DNA Results Putting Him in Wake of Death Row Killer * Michael Hughes on Find a Grave * Franklin Delano Floyd Inmate Information ---- Category:Kentucky Category:Oklahoma Category:1994 Category:Abduction Category:Disappearances Category:School-Related Cases Category:Woodland-Related Cases Category:Unresolved